REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Biodiversity Conservation

北卡罗来纳州威尔明顿大学的REU网站将汇集一个多学科的本科生和教师小组，以解决人为生物多样性丧失和生态系统改造的关键社会问题。 每年有9名来自地质学、生物学、环境研究和考古学的学生将在现场参加为期8周的项目，有机会在他们的家乡继续研究，并展示和发表他们的成果。 学生将收集和比较化石和考古记录以及现代海洋群落的数据，以了解人为生态系统的变化。 科学目标是了解：1）大约200万年前在西大西洋发生的大规模灭绝之前的海洋软体动物群落的结构，该灭绝在规模和原因上与目前的生物多样性危机相似; 2）从化石记录中看到的动物群对这次灭绝的反应和恢复;（3）在强烈的现代人类活动之前，贝壳类贝冢的考古记录证明了群落结构;以及4）在人为干扰程度不同的地点，海洋生物群落目前的组成、结构和健康状况。 这项工作将记录系统的自然变异性，使生物系统的自然变化与人类活动诱发或放大的变化区分开来。 对海洋群落时间变化的研究将用于确定人为改变的程度和性质，评估现代群落的健康状况，并确定保护生物多样性的可能方法。 该项目将为不同群体的学生创造积极的研究经验，鼓励他们继续在该领域工作，为研究生学习和职业生涯做好准备，并提高在多学科团队中工作的能力。 该项目具有潜在的社会影响，建立了一个多元化的学生谁是生物多样性保护的问题，谁可以跨学科的工作，制定创新的方法来解决这些问题。 学生的收藏品将存放在古生物研究所，供其他学生、教育工作者和研究人员使用，并作为公共宣传的基础（将单独供资），包括在国际保护研究所举办一次关于生物多样性保护的展览。地球博物馆。

This REU site at University of North Carolina Wilmington will bring together a multidisciplinary group of undergraduate students and faculty to address the critical societal issue of anthropogenic biodiversity loss and ecosystem modification. Nine students a year, from geology, biology, environmental studies, and archeology will participate in the project for eight weeks on site, with the opportunity to continue the research at their home institution and to present and publish their results. Students will collect and compare data from the fossil and archeological record and modern marine communities to understand anthropogenic ecosystem change. The scientific goal is to understand: 1) the structure of the marine molluscan community prior to a mass extinction in the western Atlantic about two million years ago that was similar in scale and cause to the current biodiversity crisis; 2) faunal response to and recovery from this extinction as seen in the fossil record; 3) evidence of community structure from the archeological record of shell middens prior to intensive modern anthropogenic change; and 4) the current composition, structure and health of the marine community at sites varying in degree of anthropogenic disturbance. The work will document natural variability of the system, allowing natural changes in biological systems to be disentangled from those induced or magnified by human activities. Study of temporal changes in the marine community will be used to determine the degree and nature of anthropogenic alteration, assess the health of the modern community, and identify possible approaches to protecting biodiversity. The project will create a positive research experience for a diverse group of students that will encourage them to continue in the field, equip them for graduate study and careers, and enhance abilities to work in multidisciplinary teams. The project has potential societal consequences in building a diverse pool of students who are aware of issues in biodiversity conservation and who can work across disciplines to develop innovative approaches to addressing these issues. Student collections will be reposited at the Paleontological Research Institution, where they will be available for use by other students, educators and researchers as well as form a basis for public outreach (to be funded separately), including an exhibit on biodiversity conservation at PRI?s Museum of the Earth.